I’m back! Apologies for the silence on the space for the past few weeks. After having guests in town, I left for the U.S. for a whirlwind trip that covered three states and included a bachelorette weekend, a wedding and meeting my new niece. I started in New York, then headed to Michigan and ended the trip in Phoenix and I’m getting tired again just typing that.

Trying to keep up with work on the road made things a bit hectic, but now that I’m back in Tokyo, I’m thrilled to share more what we’ve been up to lately. Expect another quick DIY, some snaps from our latest excursions in Japan to Osaka, Nara and back to Kyoto and more. But first, here are my happy sights from my trip to the U.S., starting with this gorgeous shot my cousin took of my absolute favorite city.

I hope your week is off to a great start!

One of the highlights of my weekend in NYC for my cousin’s bachelorette party was a wine tasting sail on the Hudson River. I must admit I spent the second half of it horizontally, as movement and my stomach apparently cannot be made friends by a double dose of dramamine and ginger gum.

I was thrilled to finally take an AKT class in person, especially after a successful morning shopping. But would I recommend doing in jet lagged? Maybe not.

Couldn’t get enough of sweet new niece Gwen.

Joined my sister and her family at the newly opened OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I watched these guys from the bathroom.

So thrilled football season has started! Had to make sure my youngest nephew was properly outfitted from head to toe for game day. Go Green!

I’ve been missing those little ones back in the states bad lately, but all the things I need to do to prepare for our move is helping me keep my mind occupied . . . most of the time. Thankfully, our siblings have been sending us plenty of adorable photos and videos to hold us over until the next visit.

That’s why my happy sights for the week are a bit of a throwback to our time back in the states, plus one very recent happy sight, my favorite food joint so far in the new neighborhood, Pizza Slice, whose delicious wares you can see above. Happy midweek, everyone!

Craig and I always have fun dressing up for “auto prom,” in honor of the North American International Auto Show. Unfortunately, I had completely lost my voice by the event.

Sampling French sweets at Scottsdale Fashion Square during a sisters’ afternoon in Arizona.

Tiny feet.

I spent my last couple of hours in AZ chasing this little man around the park.

My parents have always bid me farewell in unique ways. For my dad, it’s been all about the shock factor. His favorite way to wake me up when I lived at home was to actually throw a stuffed, MSU toy at me that on contact would start playing the fight song. As someone who even had a fear of alarm clocks growing up (too many episodes of Rescue 911 involving middle-of-the-night fire alarms are to blame for this), it quite literally scared the shit out of me every time. He considered it highly effective.

When it comes to my mom, her farewells, whether before a day of work or a long trip have always been a bit more subtle. When she would wake us in the morning for school, I remember her picking me up and cradling me awake, asking me if I slept well and starting to tell me about the day ahead.

While both different, what I cherish most about my parents’ goodbyes is that I can always expect them, and there is comfort in that routine. No matter how early they were headed into work, I always knew they would stop in and see me before they went. There was never a goodbye without a kiss, a hug, a short chat or even a song. There are more tears now (we’re a wonderfully weepy family), but that’s OK.

After a wonderful, but tiring trip to the states, I’m back in Japan and back in action. As I was sitting on the plane, I realized that while it had been hard saying goodbye, I wasn’t as upset as usual. Now, I certainly don’t mean it gets easier, it just doesn’t feel as bad.

What does that mean?

To me, it’s a sign that as our second year in Japan wraps up, I truly feel like this is my home and by the end of the trip, I was ready to get back. These goodbyes are now more routine and less jarring than before, but filled with the actions and symbolism that mean so much. My dad threw that MSU toy at me in the morning and my mom whispered calming words into my ear at the airport.

While I miss everyone terribly, I’m glad to be home, because I know they’re on this journey with me, no matter how far away.

A definite highlight of this trip back to the U.S. was meeting our newest nephew, Oliver. He is the second baby in our family to be born since Craig and I have been in Japan and we were counting down the days until we got to see the little guy in person (not to mention smooch on those cheeks).

The birth of Oliver and our niece, Laynee, before him were two of the most wonderful events of the past two years but also the toughest to miss. Seeing our siblings become parents has been exciting and emotional — we just wish we could be more a part of it. That being said, we’re amazed at the relationships we’ve been able to build with these amazing tiny humans thanks to the wonders of technology. They’ve come to know our faces and learned to recognize us by our voices. We’ve created games through the screen and they’ve christened us with nicknames. We’ve watched them try new foods and take first steps through shared videos. We’ve built a digital baby book we can look back through whenever our hearts are a bit sick for home.

As our family continues to grow, we look forward to all we’ll be able to share with them as they grow based on our time abroad. That knowledge will be among our greatest gifts to them and we hope to take them on their own adventures one day. Nothing beats those smiles when they see Auntie Pejo and Uncle Teg on the screen. While we count down the days between each meeting, we’re so thankful to be a part of each every milestone, no matter how far away we are.

Sometimes, traveling just gets the best of you and this trip is really kicking my ass.

While I’ve had an amazing time so far, the multiple time zones and climates haven’t been kind to me. As lousy as I feel, I’d never pass up the opportunity to see all these amazing people — they just probably shouldn’t get closer to me than two feet. Clearly I need to pick up these supplies to get me through the rest of the trip.

Tonight, I’ll need to rally to make it to a fun event we go to every year, the North American International Auto Show Charity Preview. So no complaints . . . not that I could say them anyway as today I woke up with little more than a whisper coming from my trap. I’ll be sharing some snaps on Instagram and hopefully be back to a normal blogging schedule after the weekend. Thank god I don’t do vlogs, right?!

As I mentioned in my last post, my attitude this Christmas was much different than the first one we spent in Japan. I didn’t really stress so much about what we did or where and we ended up having a wonderful weekend together.

For Christmas dinner, Craig and I enjoyed a nine-course meal at Vietnam Frog in Shiodome that was completely cilantro themed. Anyone who knows my dear husband knows he would sleep with cilantro in his pillow case if he could, so when we heard about it, we couldn’t pass it up. After that, we shared a beer at Délirium Café back in Ginza and then headed home for some Christmas cake and Facetime sessions with everyone back in the states.

The day after Christmas, we went a little less traditional. Or perhaps a lot. We decided we should do something that screams “American” after having Asian food for dinner the night before, and what’s more loudly American than Hooters?! It was an unconventional choice to say the least but some wings with a Long Island Iced Tea followed by a nice walk home is a unique holiday memory I know we’ll look back on and smile about.

Enjoy my happy sights from Christmas week, which kick off with the epic Christmas card I gave Craig!

Last Christmas was pretty emotional for me. It was our first time being away from our families on the Christmas and I found myself reduced to tears over all the little details, like the fact our favorite cheesecake was unavailable (trust me, that cake is worth crying over). This year, however, I learned to look at our holidays away in a new light: I was happy it was just us.

Something that always takes people by surprise about our move abroad is how soon we did it after getting married. Craig and had been hitched just six months when our plane touched down in Tokyo. We quickly realized we had to be in this together if we were going to make the move and, most importantly, our relationship work.

This year, I really felt like we hit our stride. Both our personal and professional routines seemed to click this year and the months flew by. Meltdowns weren’t as commonplace and neither were disagreements.

Sitting across from Craig at the Vietnamese restaurant we chose for our Christmas meal (Confession: We were sold on the two hour, all-you-can-drink special), I realized how these holidays away were actually serving our marriage. We’ve learned more about how much we can lean on one another to get through a tough time and that we can make our own Christmas traditions filled with laughter and love.

We can’t wait to get home to our families and friends this week to continue celebrating this wonderful time of year and while we missed them terribly on Christmas day, all my tears were happy ones for the new memories we’re creating that will add to the greater narrative of our life together.

After more than five years together, it’s safe to say my husband knows me. Craig knows the way to my heart is through my stomach and that a little retail therapy never hurts. He gave me one hell of a birthday I won’t soon forget.

It should be noted I hate surprises. It should also be noted I have a gift for ruining them. I don’t always necessarily do it on purpose, but the fact he was able to keep any of his plans from me is pretty damn impressive. I’m sure this has to do with me being the baby of my family more than being a party pooper. I’m not that wicked.

We ushered in my 29th year with just the two of us and it reminded me how lucky I am to have such a strong, loving and supportive partner in my life. I can’t wait to spend another year as his Mrs. and see where 29 leads me. Now I need to get working on plans for his 29th birthday . . . nine months to go.

The pop-up card challenge continues. I appreciate this one had a car theme. Very Craig.

Picked up a little “T” for Trudell.

Can my first meal of the day always be pizza with prosciutto and a glass of spumante? Enjoyed this in Yurakucho.

Twenty-nine. I can hardly believe this weekend I turned 29. The past year flew by so quickly I still feel like I’m playing catchup.

This past year, I took on a lot of professional challenges based not only on my own desire to continue growing as a writer, but also out of fear of falling into a category I’m not very fond of — the trailing spouse. Writing about this topic made me sit back and think about how I had shaped my adult life thus far. Was I the person — both personally and professionally — I wanted to be?

Unfortunately, accepting an opportunity like this has meant a gut check to my ego I thought I saw coming. But I didn’t fully grasp how much of an effect it would have on me. I wasn’t prepared to have my professional accomplishments dismissed in circles where I thought I stood as an equal. I wasn’t prepared for questions like, “So, what do you do all day while your husband does such important work?” Ouch. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to watch my partner move forward on the career path we’d both chosen while it felt like I was standing still.

But those uncomfortable moments did something incredible. They helped me to step back and assess my skills and gave me the confidence to put myself out there. I’ve never trailed before and I’d be damned if I started now. I’ve shaken more hands, passed out more business cards and attended more networking events in the past year than I ever have. The reward has come in the form of bylines, business connections and new friendships.

I’m thankful for every bad day of year 27, because they led to every good day of year 28. Only I can control how meaningful and rewarding each year of my life is, and I’m blessed to have many cheerleaders who continue to inspire me to always reach for something greater.

Thank you for your well wishes, love and advice and for giving my words an audience this past year.

It was back in elementary school and we were with my mother at the grocery store. One moment we were standing at the end of the conveyor belt at checkout collecting our groceries while our mother paid. The next, I was shrieking as my sister clamped down on my ear. I couldn’t tell you why, but mere moments after the horrified looks of fellow shoppers faded, I forgave her and it was like it never happened.

That’s the thing about big sisters.

Having a sister has meant I’ve had a best friend for going on 29 years. Being just two years and two days apart in age, we didn’t always get along, but even when we were mad at each other, there was no one else on Earth I wanted to be like. Now that she’s a wife, mother and associate professor, I continue to be amazed by how much she’s accomplished and the incredible woman she’s become.

My sister and I have had many miles between us for many years now, but I’ve never felt closer to her. Looking in on her life from far away is one of my greatest sources of joy. She’s a confidante, an adviser and a cheerleader when I need one most.

So I’m wishing the happiest of 31st birthdays to my sister, Jackie. I’m planning to toast you this weekend with a Moscow Mule, our favorite cocktail. You could bite me tomorrow and you still couldn’t get rid of me.